Flora's — Restaurant in Lancaster

Long Story, but we’ll WORTH the read:

My wife and I were out in Lancaster for my birthday and she had an itinerary of things to do. Zip lining, range shooting, and restaurants galore. One of those restaurants was Callaloo for lunch, but when we got there, they were closed due to staffing issues. So now what?!?! as we sit on the step in front of their shop. So we walked across the street to the local mart and asked for good local places to eat in the immediate area. A lady says “ there a Mexican place nearby” 😂😂😂. I’ll explain that later. So we searched google and found Flora’s. Flora’s is anything but a Mexican restaurant.😂😂😂 it’s a wonderful mix of mix of dishes from Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Puerto Rico, etc… Cool, that will work. So we walked less than a block down the street to this quaint little shop with art and style and Latin music playing and the craziest wall mounted tables that seem to defy gravity. I stated to the waitress that my wife and I had certain food allergies. Typically at this point you get 0,1,or luckily 2 choices. Flora/Flo, the owner, came out to greet us. She gave us an overwhelming amount of options and said she could accommodate our needs without question. She was so kind. So I ordered the “el Bote Hundido” - Plantains with steak & chicken over rice & beans. My wife got the “Spicy Mojo Pollo” - Chicken tenderloins in spicy mango salsa. It was SENSATIONAL!!! It was the best thing I had eaten in months, full of flavor and culture. And this is why I laughed earlier; if it hadn’t been for the uncultured lady, at the mart, that recommended this “Mexican” place that’s everything but, we might not have ended up here, but I’m so glad we did!!! As if that wasn’t good enough: I watched one of the staff take care of a local homeless person, treat him as a normal customer despite his appearance and loud talking, give him a free meal, and ask if everything was good. It was a heartwarming moment that caused my wife and I to tear up. When we asked Flo, she said “yeah, everyday. He is our guy”. And not only is the food great, the place clean and beautiful, the people kind, but they go out of their way DAILY to help the helpless, and this is the character of this place and it’s people. If I could, I would made a...

Unfortunately My experience at Floras was horrible. I had heard great things about the restaurant and was eager to try it. My mother was in town visiting for the first time, so I thought we'd check it out. We were told we needed to make reservations (even though all online marketing says "come on down") and were promised a phonecall in 40mins when a table was vacant. An hour later no phone call, so we called back and after they were shuffling the phone back and forth between employees, we were told we could order outside and the food would be brought to the table where we were designated to sit by the window. As we were waiting outside the table became vacant and I asked the waiter if he could seat us there since it was vacant and he says he's not sure and goes back to speak to hostess. Hostess and waiter are talking right in front of us and then both turn around and walk back in leaving us outside looking foolish, with no explanation or apology. Two hour wait, bad customer service and a horrible experience. It is truly unfortunate, but I will never try again! There are similar restaurants in town with WAY better customer service that I know I will not experience what I...

Let me start telling you. I am a foodie. This is my drug of choice. My friend came home from California and wanted me to come try this place with him. He had come before and love it. So I joined. Soon as I walked in i noticed the decor it’s like something out of a throwback salsa movie. Amazing. The art on the walls takes you in. We were greated by a young lady with a great smile and personality. I had a cup of coffee to start and Wowzers. What a way to get started. Best cup of coffee I’ve had in a very long time. Taste like moms café con leche. Then we ordered the empanadas they came out with a home made cilantro sauce that is to die for. I may go back to see if I can buy a jar! Lol. Followed by the “típico” which is the name of the plate we ordered. This thing came out of the kitchen looking like a piece of art. By that point I was not as hungry anymore but had to eat every last ounce because it was so delicious. I can’t wait to come back with my wife. This place is a Lancaster Pa hidden...